


Biting the Big Apple

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Marnie and the Shark [16]
Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Friendship/Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-06-08 11:56:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6853657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Right now I feel like I don't know a damn thing."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Biting the Big Apple

Margaret shivered a bit against the cold air as she walked out of Penn Station. October was turning cold, and the denim jacket she wore was not as warm as she liked. There were many cabs waiting; Margaret climbed into one.

“212 Central Park West please.”

She threw her overnight bag on the seat beside her and leaned back. The reason for her being in Manhattan still had not come to her...she just missed him. It was midterm election time so she and Brian had not seen him for a month. There were phone calls, but not one trip to DC. Honestly, she did not even know if he was home...this was all by the seat of her pants. Seat of her pants have never been Margaret’s strong suit.

“First time in New York?” the cabbie asked.

“No. I'm here to see a dear friend.”

She unzipped her bag, making sure she packed her CDs and her panties. When the cab pulled up to the building, Margaret gave him a twenty, telling him to keep the change. Both the doorman and the security guard recognized her and she went right up on the elevator to the 15th floor. Taking a deep breath, she knew the outcome of this would determine her future as an agent provocateur. She walked down the hall, breathing heavy the whole way, and knocked on the last door. Bruno opened it with a handful of files...the surprise on his face evident.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I wanted to surprise you. I thought maybe...”

“Hey Bruno, do you have the Vice-President’s speech schedule for next week.”

Everything stood still as Margaret looked at the attractive African-American woman who walked past the door.

“Hi.” She said.

Margaret held up her hand in a small wave. Bruno ushered her in.

“Um, Allison Seagram, this is Margaret Hooper. She’s my best friend.”

Allison held out her hand, telling Margaret it was nice to meet her. The redhead could hardly mumble a reply. The woman was beautiful; no doubt she was the latest notch on Bruno’s belt.

“Allison is John Hoynes’ Communication Director. We’re down to the home stretch.”

“Yeah, three weeks.” Allison said, looking at her watch. “Is it really quarter after eight? I have a dinner thing at nine thirty. How about we meet again on Sunday? My schedule is tight with appearances tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Just leave a message about the time. Connie will be with you guys tomorrow; I’ll be in touch with her also.”

“Great. This is good work Bruno.” She grabbed her wool coat and a Kate Spade clutch purse. She smiled at Margaret.

“It was lovely to meet you Margaret.” She said. “It surprises me that this man has any friends.”

“Get out Seagram.”

“See ya.”

She left, leaving Margaret and Bruno to stare at each other for a few awkward moments. They both went to speak at the same time, which made Bruno smile and Margaret blush. He deferred to her.

“I guess I should have called.” She said.

He put his hands in his jeans pocket.

“No, no. Damn, I cannot believe you're here. Are you hungry?”

“Not really. Allison is very pretty.”

“She certainly is. She's fucking John Hoynes.”

“Bruno!” Margaret exclaimed, her green eyes widening.

“Seriously. He is an attractive, wealthy man who loves his women smart, sophisticated, and sexy. Hey,” he pulled her close to him. “Give me a hug. I can't tell you how good it is to see you. How is my son? Where is he?”

“Isabel and Tim took him for the weekend. He does miss you...looks forward to your phone call every night.”

“I wish I could do more.” Bruno said.

“You’ll be there for Christmas. We’ll be together. I told him that daddy does very important work and he had to go away for a while. He will come back just as soon as he can.”

“Do you think he understands? Why do you understand?”

Margaret took a minute to think about it. And to think about the fact that his arms were still around her.

“I have never known you to live anything but a busy life. This life affords our son everything he needs and wants. Our son makes you human. He brings out a side of you you didn’t know you had. You two are good for each other.”

“Let’s get some food. I think we need to talk.”

Margaret nodded. She went into the bathroom to freshen up and could hear Bruno tinkering around in the kitchen.

“I just needed some time to myself.” Margaret said when Bruno handed her a beer. “I needed to get away.”

“My door is always open; I'm glad you're here.”

“What did you order?” she asked.

“Pizza.” He lit a cigarette. “What's going on Marnie?”

“Work has been insane...you know how it is. The President really needs to take back the House. I have to be there double time for Brian right now; he’s in a needy phase. I sometimes feel like I am drowning and can't breathe.”

“Dammit!” he sighed. “You know what? That all goes out the window this weekend. In New York you don’t have to be that woman. I think I need to stop being that man for a little while too. Let’s fantasize together.”

“What did you have in mind?” she asked.

“Nothing, for the next 36 hours. Staying up late, sleeping late, eating things that are bad for us, and just being free.”

“You have to meet Allison on Sunday.”

“I will, you don’t need to worry. We will put you on the 6 o’clock back to DC. But we’re not going to talk about that right now. I have some movies from Netflix I never got around to watching. Wanna help me do something about that?”

Margaret threw her arms around him, holding him tightly to her.

“Thank you for being here. I didn’t know where else to go.”

“I will always be here for you Margaret. I promise.”

***

“No! Seriously?”

Margaret fell over on the couch laughing. Then she caught a case of the hiccups and that just made her laugh more. Bruno was laughing too and he reached out to caress her ankle as they started to come down.

“It happened just like that.” he said when he got a hold of himself. “I don’t think I could have made that up if I tried.”

“Oh God, I can't breathe.” She clutched her chest, looking at him with tears in her eyes. “I’ll make sure to say my prayers tonight that Brian is nothing like you when he starts school.”

“We would have to give him a couple of brothers. It wasn’t me...mostly. By middle school my father gave up and put us in public school. None of the other parishes wanted us.”

“I think you all turned out OK.”

Margaret sat up, putting her plate back on her lap. She picked at the pepperoni, popping them in her mouth. Bruno reached for one and she slapped his hand.

“Don’t even think about it. You will not keep me up all night complaining about heartburn.”

“Whatever.” He ate the pepperoni. “We did turn out OK. My mother gave us a lot of love and my father gave us a lot of discipline. We weren’t bad kids, just gregarious. It was always triple the trouble anyway because we were so close in age. C’mon, there had to be trouble amongst the Hooper clan.”

“Not much, though Ann was a handful. We were all pretty calm. Russ and Larry were older than us so my mother spent a lot of time with us girls. I mean I was ten when Russ went away to Ithaca. We were the quiet kids.”

“Didn’t you get in trouble, just once? You can tell me Marnie.”

Margaret flushed slightly, a smile on her face.

“My father and mother caught me making out with Tom once over Thanksgiving break. I was topless.”

“Your father must have gone nuts.”

“He did. It was conduct unbecoming a lady. He never really liked Tom much after that so he didn’t come home with me. Maybe if I would’ve told him I was still a virgin it would have cooled him down some.”

“Whoa! You were? When did you...?”

“My college graduation party. Let’s change the subject.”

“OK. You want to watch a movie?”

He grabbed the DVDs from the end table.

“I have The _Bourne Identity, Disclosure, Alfie, Carnal Knowledge_ , and _Reversal of Fortune_.”

“ _Reversal of Fortune_? I love that movie.”

“It’s a good choice. A little Jeremy Irons as a sexy convicted murderer should get you all turned on before bedtime.”

“I don’t need Jeremy Irons to turn me on.”

She was wearing that smile again when Bruno turned to look at her. The enigmatic smile that made her look beautiful but made his head pound.

“No? No Jeremy? What does it for you?” he asked.

“Don’t act like you don’t know Bruno.”

“Right now I feel like I don’t know a damn thing.”

***

“So, did Claus do it?”

Bruno lay in his own bed with his laptop on. He was on the web, browsing CNN.com and the New York Times homepage. The television played Anderson Cooper on low volume. Margaret was in the bathroom changing.

“I think Sonny overdosed all by herself; she was both a hypoglycemic and a notorious drug addict. But I do think Claus let her stew for a couple of hours hoping she would die. Do you think she is still alive?”

“I think she is.”

Margaret muttered an expletive; Bruno asked her what was wrong.

“I didn’t pack any pajama pants. I always do that...never do I fail to leave something at home.”

“I have a whole drawer full of boxers. You're welcome to a pair.”

She came out of the bathroom, walking over to the chest of drawers. As she picked out a pair of boxers Bruno could not help but look at her. She was already wearing a Yankees tee shirt he was sure belonged to him, and now his boxer shorts. As much as he truly wanted to it was a probably a bad idea for them to share a bed tonight. As far as he knew she was still pretty close with Dan Sterling. Margaret had not stated differently though all evening he knew that something was on the tip of her tongue.

“Are you sure I should sleep in here?” he asked. “The pullout couch is very comfortable...you will not be putting me out.”

“I want you to.” Margaret slid between the sheets taking a deep breath. “I just...” her breath caught for a moment, catching them both of them off guard. “I need you to hold me.”

Bruno could not get rid of his computer fast enough. He turned off the TV and the lamp; the room got very dark. It took some time for he and Margaret to adjust to the darkness and find each other. He wrapped her up in his arms... Margaret’s head lay on his chest. The room was so quiet it was unnerving. They both seemed to be holding their breath and no one said a word. Bruno broke the silence with a sigh.

“Talk to me baby.” He whispered.

“I don’t know what to say. There seems to be too much.”

“Things are difficult right now.” He said. “They will get better.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“The cycle of life.” He smirked. “Or what I like to refer to as ‘I'm too busy to focus on my life falling apart’. We...”

“I love you Bruno.”

She said it, aloud, and found the heavy weight laying on her was still there. His silence unnerved her though his arms moved to hold her tighter.

“I love you too; that’s why I'm here. Tell me what is happening with Dan.”

“I hardly see him.” Margaret said. “Its midterm election time and the Hill is busy. I don’t know how much longer...”

Margaret didn’t finish her thought.

“Its alright. Don't say anything else. Just relax and I’ll hold onto you. I think you need a good night’s sleep. We can talk more in the morning if you want.”

“OK. You're right you know; things should be different.”

“Yeah.” He kissed her forehead. “Goodnight Marnie.”

“Goodnight.”

***

Margaret woke and listened to the sounds of light rain tapping on the windows. She and Bruno were now spooning; she could hear the breathing of his sleep in her ear. She studied the photos on his nightstand. Her, pregnant, lying on the couch; the three of them just days after she brought Brian home from the hospital; a photo taken years ago during the reelection campaign. Margaret sat on the floor of his condo dressed in a Derek Jeter jersey. Staring at the photos, she felt the tears well in her eyes. She squeezed Bruno’s hand underneath the sheet. He sighed in his sleep. She turned around and kissed him until he woke up.

“Marnie...?”

She quieted him with another kiss. With more reluctance than he ever experienced, Bruno extracted himself from her embrace.

“Hey hey, its not as if it wasn’t a extraordinary way to wake up.”

Margaret put her arms around his neck. Bruno pulled her close...it was instinctual. He wanted her close too. He needed her, and wanted her more than ever but there was something stopping him. What it was, he had no idea, but it was something.

“You're not OK.” He said. “Talk to me.”

“I'm OK now; here with you. I only want to be with you and I hate you for it.”

“You hate me, you love me. Make up your damn mind woman.”

Bruno achieved what he wanted; Margaret smiled. He pushed auburn bangs from her forehead.

“Breakfast.” He said. “I think we should have breakfast.”

“Maybe we should just stay in bed.”

She kissed him again and Bruno lost the battle with his conscience. He could not fight how he felt about her. He could not fight the feelings that raged in him when she touched or kissed him; his body reacted in ways it never had before. How had this happened?

“Margaret.” He sighed.

She was pushing his boxers down, caressing his erection. Bruno shut his eyes and responded to her passionate kisses.

“I have to have you now.” He grunted, pushing her back and maneuvering his body on top of hers.

Margaret bit her lip. Her desire caught hold of him, pulling him under like a riptide. They clung to each other as they made love, both moaning and crying out their pleasure. There wasn’t much banter, no conversation and play. It was three years of love, frustration, and need.

“Marnie!” Bruno shouted as he climaxed.

He rolled over and they both breathed hard. Margaret’s legs were still slightly in the air. She stared at the ceiling; slowly coming back to Earth.

“Oh God.” She whispered. “Wow.”

“Now it is definitely time for breakfast.” Bruno replied. “Do you want to go out or stay in?”

“Mmm, lets go out. I want to spend the whole day outside. I don’t care if we get soaking wet.”

Bruno turned, kissing her softly.

“I promise baby.”

***

They spent the afternoon in the Manhattan drizzle doing their best to forget about their separate and joint problems. Conversation remained light; there was lots of laughter about silly things. Margaret tried on too many pairs of shoes and a barrage of coats. At the Guggenheim Bruno tried to make sense of modern art by a Japanese artist and insisted one of the drawings had to be upside down, or needed to be turned diagonally. That sent Margaret into a giggling fit. In Central Park they held hands walking through Strawberry Fields. They both tried to remember what they were doing when they heard John Lennon died, but had difficulty.

At Macy’s on 54th Street and then Saks Fifth Avenue, Margaret bought clothes and accessories she could hardly afford. She only stayed mad at Bruno for a half hour when he pulled out the black Amex to handle her purchases. She pretended it was longer because she enjoyed all his attempts to make her smile. He bought her roses in Chinatown and a Snickers bar in a Harlem bodega he stopped in for cigarettes. He talked about the problems his baby sister Lina was having with her husband and how he and his brothers were going to get together to knock some sense into the guy.

“Bruno?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you sure you are not in the Mafia? Or have connections?”

He smiled, squeezing the hand he had been holding for hours now.

“I have a lot of connections. I find it better for me not to concern myself with what people do when we are not in the same room together. That way I will never be a witness for the prosecution or land with six bullets in my back. And I am not just speaking of the so-called Mafia. These days everyone is into something. It is always the seemingly normal guy who is the most dangerous, you know?”

“Mmm hmm. Bruno, are you sure you're not in the Mafia?”

“No, I'm not sure. Are you hungry? It is practically the dinner hour...I know I can get us in somewhere.”

“I could eat. It doesn’t have to be anywhere special. I don’t need to be impressed.”

“I know. Still, you don’t get to New York often, lets do it up for real. OK?”

“Yeah. Do you want to be the newlyweds tonight?”

“Whoa, it has certainly been a long time. I don’t know if that is the best idea...the rain already has my back aching. How about the reunited old friends?”

She looked at him as they crossed Eighth Avenue.

“They're new.” She replied.

“I don’t think it is a role we will have no problem stepping into. They are full of surprises.”

He lifted her hand to his lips and she smiled.

***

They had dinner at Gus’ Place; a quaint restaurant in the village that Bruno insisted had the best Greek food in the city. Their knees grazed at the tiny table, and the plates took up most of the space, but Margaret loved the ambience. She loved the smells and the waiters speaking amongst themselves in Greek. She found herself staring at large photos on the wall of picturesque Greek backdrops and beautiful Greek people.

“Will you take me to Greece someday?” she asked, toying with her roasted lamb and grilled squash.

“Say the word. It is amazing this time of year.”

“Yeah.”

“So, you want to tell me what is bothering you? I call you at all hours of the night to moan about nothing. You can talk to me Marnie.”

“Its stress.” She said.

“You’ve never been stressed before.”

“Things have changed.”

“What things?”

“Just things.”

Bruno sighed. He pushed aside his empty plate of what once was souvlaki, lighting a cigarette.

“Are you going to make me play 20 Questions?” he asked. “I'm worried about you.”

“Bruno, I don’t want to talk about it. I came to see you and to get away from it all...can we just get away from it all?”

“Yes. But I am here and I want to be more than a good time Margaret. I want you to be able to share with me and lean on me. Best friends, remember?”

“Stop being so nice to me.” She mumbled.

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing.” She cleared her throat. “I think I need another glass of wine.”

Margaret got their server’s attention and ordered another glass of Riesling. Bruno reached across the table for her hand, staring at the emerald. Almost 7 years since their first Christmas and she still wore the ring. Margaret exhaled, sliding her fingers between his. They didn’t need to say anything, the emotions splashed to the surface like a storm surge. Bruno gasped.

“Did I mention how happy I am that you are here?” he asked.

“Why?”

“Because I missed my best friend, that’s why.”

“Best friend with benefits, isn’t that what Alanis Morissette said.”

“Who?”

Margaret smiled as the server approached with her wine. He cleared the dishes and Bruno asked for the check.

“Wait, I would like dessert.” Margaret said. “May I have a menu please?”

“Yes ma'am.”

“You, Bruno Gianelli, are a dessert hater. Yet every time I order something you have a fork.”

“I always want a little piece Margaret.” He replied in full Bruno grin.

She smiled too.

***

“Are you sure you didn’t want to talk to Brian?” Bruno put the phone back on the wall.

“I called him earlier while you were talking to Connie. Did he tell you about the tire he and Tim put up in the backyard?”

“Yeah.” Bruno sat on the couch.

Margaret sat at his feet and she leaned her head back in his lap.

“He and I should be doing these things together.”

“You will, just as soon as you have the free time. Midterm elections don’t last forever and when things aren’t crazy you two will have more time. Do you think John Hoynes will return to the Senate?”

“He is leading in the polls. He is doing Hardball tomorrow.”

“Wow, I better set the alarm for that one.” she smirked.

“Ha, ha. You are sleeping in tomorrow.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“I’ll hold you down if I have to.”

“Now see, that is definitely a lot more fun that Hardball. C'mere, bend down.”

Bruno leaned down and she kissed him. He opened his eyes, looking at her smile.

“You're beautiful.” He said.

“So are you. What’s next?”

“I really want to make love to you.”

“Oh Bruno, how romantic.”

“I don’t think I should have said that.”

“You're not a man to turn back on your word.”

She climbed in his lap and he kissed her.

“Marnie, I just...we both...”

She put her finger on his lips.

“I know. Soon we are going to have to come up with something better. Right now though, we want to do this.”

“We seriously want to do this.” Bruno murmured between kisses. “We need to get you naked.”

“No, we need to get you naked.”

“How about you get on your knees baby?”

“Get on your damn knees.”

“Oh yeah.”

Margaret laughed as he plopped her on the couch and got down on his knees. She unzipped her slacks; Bruno pulled them down her legs. Her panties came next. He held up the purple satin.

“Very pretty.”

Bruno pulled her toward him, getting right to business. The man knew what to do with his mouth...could make her scream in absolute reckless abandon.

“Oh God! Bruno! Oh dear God!”

Margaret moaned loudly. Her hand found the back of his head as her body arched upward from the couch. He held firm to her hips as her legs did tiny spasms from the jolts of adrenaline.

“Oh, uhh, oh God! I love you Bruno!”

She grabbed a handful of his hair as she came, gasping and sputtering. As her body came down Bruno turned her on the couch and moved on top of her.

“You feel so damn good baby.” He dipped to lick her neck. “You feel so good.”

She grabbed his face, kissing him thoroughly. His jeans and boxers came off but the moment was halted as he grabbed for his wallet and the condom he always kept in the back. They made love slow, sensually. Kissing, touching, and stroking each other.

“Oh God Marnie, I miss you so much.”

She caressed his face as he leaned to kiss her.

“Tell me love me.” She moaned.

“You know I love you. I have always loved you. I'm never going to...Margaret!”

She cried out as they climaxed together. He moved to the couch, holding her in his arms and never wanting to let go. Her breath was warm on the sweat of his chest.

“Mmm, so good. Always so good.” She whispered.

“Yeah, it is. I wish we were as good at everything as we are at that.” he said.

They were both silent for a while.

“What about your other relationship?” he finally asked.

“What about all of yours?” she countered.

“But you love him.”

“Please don’t tell me what I feel. This is not about him, you know it, and don't you make it about him.”

“OK.”

Silence again. Damn, it was so hard for him to say that he never wanted her to leave. He opened his mouth, thought too hard, and closed it again.

“What?” she asked.

“What what?”

“You were going to say something.”

“You know me too well. All I really want to do is hold you and shut my damn mouth. Seriously.”

Margaret nodded, letting him do that for now.

***

“Did you pack everything?”

Margaret slid her overnight bag further onto her shoulder.

“Yeah. Oh, I took the boxers. They were comfy.”

“That’s fine. Did you remember the books and action figure I got for Brian?”

“Yes. I have everything Bruno. I promise.”

He nodded, putting his hands on her shoulders.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay until the train comes?”

“Its only 45 minutes or so...I’ll be OK.”

“Yeah.”

“You have to meet with Allison anyway. There is so much work to be done.”

She kissed his cheek.

“Call me when you are safe in DC.”

“I will. Thank you so much for this weekend. You were so busy and you pushed it aside for me.”

“You needed me Marnie. I was happy to do it. Being with you was more fun than being with John Hoynes.”

She smiled.

“Come back to DC soon, will you? We really miss you. Oh, you might not be able to reach Brian tonight; he and Isabel will be in route. Call him in the morning.”

Bruno nodded, putting his arms around her.

“Just one more hug and it may be easier to let you go.”

They held onto each other; Margaret kissed him when he pulled away.

“Go now. I will wait for the train downstairs.”

Bruno waved, watching as she walked away. He turned and left, needing to get back to his condo and call Allison. There were three weeks of work to do in the next couple of days. He was going to have to go to Dallas and really didn’t want to.

“212 Central Park West.” He said as he got into a cab at the curb.

He pulled the beeping phone from his pocket and flipped it open.

‘Bruno got a head like a loaf of bread. Lol, I couldn’t help myself.’

He grinned, typing in a reply.

‘I miss you already. And for the record, our son’s head is shaped exactly like mine. Love you'

***


End file.
